


Snake Charmer

by ScarfyTheShipster



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cute, Faust is the best girl, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Gen, M/M, Mischief, Musical Instruments, Slice of Life, fic to make you smile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-24 15:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarfyTheShipster/pseuds/ScarfyTheShipster
Summary: Being choked or strangled wasn't something Julian was necessarily opposed to in some situations. It just scared him to death when a certain purple snake did it.Julian learns how to charm a snake.Slight Asrian fluff





	Snake Charmer

Being choked or strangled wasn't something Julian was necessarily opposed to in some situations. It just scared him to death when a certain purple snake did it.

Julian had to do something. Perhaps time with Faust would be a lot more relaxing if she was entertained. That line of thinking led him to purchasing a pungi, in thinking it would be easy to learn. He knew music theory, played a temperamental bow and string instrument- how hard could a woodwind be?

As soon as his lips touched the snake charming reed and he pushed air through, it made a cacophonous screech no words in all seven languages he knew could truly describe.

"Damn." Julian grinned, looking at the pungi. "Time to learn something genuinely new, I see." Fingerings weren't difficult, he was skilled with his hands and it was far more guided than his vielle, in which his note charts for it might as well have simply said "Good Luck".

Circular breathing? 

It took time to figure out a new instrument, but he found time to practice out in the woods where no guards could get called under the assumption some poor creature was getting murdered. He sat with his back straight to practice in the middle of nature, at peace and hoping the birds accepted him as something like a drunk cousin of theirs.

Julian comically puffed his cheeks out with air and let it escape as he breathed in through his nose- or tried to, anyway. Bright sparkling laughter interrupted his practice in the forest, causing him to choke and gasp instead. "Asra!"

"What're you doing?" Asra grinned widely at him, Faust curled around his shoulders. 

"Learning how to play folk clarinet for snake charming. Did you know that circular breathing isn't breathing in and out at the same time as much as it is simply being able to breathe in your nose while letting extra air out your mouth?" 

"Simply?"

Julian attempted to demonstrate, taking in a huge breath and inflating his cheeks but bursting into giggles when Asra laughed again. "It makes more sense while playing an instrument!" 

Asra's eyes glinted with mirth as Faust herself slid off of him and towards Julian. "I was on my way to harvest some herbs; why don't you give Faust a performance?"

"Er, I can try. I want her to like me."

Asra gave them both a fond look as Faust slithered up Julian's ankle and hugged his leg. "She's a very good girl who loves you. Have fun!"

Julian couldn't understand Faust, but she still gave him an adorable look. 'Jules!!!'

"No neck squeezing! Please?" Julian took the pungi and Faust got off of him, sliding to the ground and coiling up in a little lavender pile. He took a breath and recalled one of the simpler songs he'd been working on, wetting the reed in his mouth and playing in Faust's direction. 

No reaction.

He played more, slowly bobbing and weaving the horn of the instrument in front of Faust, the reed vibrating and the tip buzzing against his somewhat sore lips with an enchanting but repetitive tune.

'Fun!!!' Faust hissed something he didn't understand but her head followed the horn, swaying back and forth and looking like she was dancing. Palatable relief swept through Julian. She liked it! It worked! Julian mentally congratulated himself on being able to control the snake, focusing on his song and the relaxing rustle of leaves in the sunny trees above him.

Faust seemed completely hypnotized- until she suddenly leapt high in the air and down his shirt. 

"HEY!" Julian screeched and dropped the pungi in the grass, panic welling up inside him. Faust darted around in his shirt, light and fast and playfully attacking his sides, forcing a shriek of laughter out of Julian as she tickled him. He collapsed back on the ground as he laughed, tears streaming down his face as she kept whipping her body around his sensitive sides and chest. Faust finally let him breathe and poked her head out of his shirt collar with her tongue out.

'Cute!!!'

"Are we friends?" Julian giggled and rested his head on the forest floor as Faust wrapped around his upper arm, resting her head on his cheek. He rubbed a finger under her head and Faust blepped at him again.

'Best friends!!!'

Almost silent footsteps approached and Asra stood above Julian with a small bundle of blossoms and clippings. "What have you done now?" he mused.

"Faust has been behaving herself-" as soon as he said it Faust zipped back under his shirt, startling another bout of laughter from Julian as Asra smirked. "She WAS! Hahahaha! Stop it!"

"Don't try to control her- Faust is a free spirit." She stopped tickling Julian to crawl back up onto Asra. "Did she seemed charmed?"

"Well, up until she dived on me, yes."

Asra chuckled. "Real snake charming doesn't even need the music. Also, it wouldn't work on Faust anyway, she's too smart."

Julian groaned. So much for no more neck hugs. "So what you're saying is, she loves fucking with me?"

'Fuck!!!'

Asra beamed and covered his mouth at her exclamation as she playfully swayed and danced on his shoulder. "She's a Gemini."

"Ah, I do seem to have trouble with those," teased Julian. "But if she thought getting under my shirt was so fun, perhaps another Gemini I know would enjoy some new techniques my lips have learned playing a new instrument."

Asra audibly rolled his eyes, the smile never leaving his face. "We're only supposed to be ten percent compatible, Ilya." He leaned in for a kiss, a hand in Julian's hair anyway. That ten percent was a very good ten percent.

"Let me show you my fingering techniques and I'll at least bump it up to eleven."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!!! I was so happy when Julian plays an instrument, made my band kid heart shine. 
> 
> My understanding is that snake charming is basically teasing it into thinking the instrument is a predator and snakes are mostly deaf so it's like. Julian dear Faust can hear you but please don't try that with a normal snake 
> 
> My Tumblr is StressBakingElf


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